Folding batter boards



May 7, 1968 R. F. FERGEN FOLDING BATTER BOARDS Filed March 18, 1966 FIG.2

FIG.3

INVENTOR.

ROBERT F. FERGEN BY United States Patent 3,381,379 FOLDING BATTER BOARDS Robert F. Fergen, 7373 Colony Road, La Mesa, Calif. 92041 Filed Mar. 18, 1966, Ser. No. 541,894 8 Claims. (Cl. 33-1) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Folding batter boards pivotally secured at their adjacent ends and releasably held at their other ends in an original building layout for movement in a common plane to allow passage of equipment, while accurately preserving the original building layout and grade.

Background of the invention In constructing houses or buildings, it is common practice to grade the lot for the building and then accurately layout the outline of the floor of the building on the lot by chalk line or the like. The trenches for footings for the foundation are then usually dug by ditch digging machines. Because the trenches are dug on or along the chalk line, it is impossible to preserve the layout of the building by use of the chalk line or markings. Accordingly, it is common practice to layout the house by using stakes, batter boards or the like that are aligned with the corners and sides of the building layout and that are spaced therefrom. Thus the exact original layout of the building may be later established during or after the trenching operation.

This layout procedure requires that the batter boards or stakes be sufficiently permanent to accurately reestablish the outline of the house after trenching. The problem is that they usually are not sufficiently permanent or critical in alignment, and the builder must relayout the building after trenching. Further even where the stakes or batter boards are of an abnormal permanence and preciseness, the machinery used in digging the trenches still must pass beyond the outline of the building for a distance that will cause the machinery to knock down the batter board-s, stakes or the like. Thus in almost all instances of present normal building practice, the building layout must be redone following trenching. In addition there is normally no adequate means for using batter boards, stakes or the like to accurately establish and preserve the grades of the layout throughout the trenching operation.

Therefore it is an object of this invention to provide a new and improved apparatus and method for making and preserving building layouts.

It is another object of this invention to provide a new and improved folding batter board for making and preserving building layouts.

It is another object of this invention to provide a new and improved apparatus and method that allows builders to get by with one layout of a building.

It is another object of this invention to provide a new and improved apparatus and method that allows trenching with power equipment without losing the building layout.

It is another object of this invention to provide a new and improvedfolding batter board for making building layouts wherein grades are accurately maintained from the original layout.

It is another object of this invention to provide a new and improved apparatus and method for use in making building layouts wherein greater accuracy in layouts and grades is achieved and preserved throughout the construction of a building.

It is another object of this invention to provide a new and improved method and folding batter board apparatus for making building layouts wherein the apparatus is easy to store and move from job to job.

In accomplishing the foregoing objects of my invention, I pivotally secure together the adjacent ends of a pair of longitudinal batter board members. The members may then pivot in a given common plane from a position of substantial alignment to the angle of the corner of the building which, for example, is normally a ninety degree angle. The point of pivotally securing the batter boards together is permanently fixed to the ground at a point in alignment but spaced from the corner of the building. The longitudinal length of the batter boards are then aligned with but spaced from the sides of the building. An adjust-able stop me'ans supports the pivotal connection of the batter boards at a given height above the ground for use as a reference point in maintaining the grade.

When it is required to trench the layout of the building, one of the batter boards for each corner of the layout is then released and pivoted out of the line of travel of the ditching equipment. Following the trenching operation, the batter board is then pivoted back and reconnected in the permanent position, thus reestablishing immediately and accurately the layout of the building. Thus it may be seen that using my method and apparatus in laying on a building assures an accurate initial layout with grade that can be easily maintained throughout the trenching operation and thereafter.

Other objects, novel features, and advantages of this invention will become more apparent upon a review of the specification and the attached drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 shows an embodiment of my invention in plan view with the batter boards pivoted to a ninety degree angle.

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of an embodiment of my invention with the batter boards pivoted to a substantially aligned position.

FIGURE 3 is a side view of an embodiment of my invention with the batter boards positioned to the established grade.

FIGURE 4 is a schematic diagram of a building layout with representative lines showing the movement of a ditching machine and the pivotal movement of a batter board out of the direction of travel of the ditching machine.

Referring now to FIGURE 1 of the drawing, a clasp means 10 secures a pair of batter boards 16 and 18 together. The batter boards 16 and 18 may be common 2" x 4" lumber of appropriate length or may be made of metal, plastic or other suitable materials. Generally the length of the batter board members 16 and 18 would be at least four feet or more. The clasp member 10 comprises a pair of flat plates 12 and 14 that fit against the upper and lower surfaces of the intersecting batter board members 16 and 1-8. Screws or bolts 20 pass through the plate 12, through apertures in the batter board member 18 and then threadably engage the lower plate member 14 for securing the clasping means 10 and the batter board 18 together. The end of batter board member 16 is pivotally secured to the clasp means 10 by rod 36. Thus it may be seen that the end 17 of the batter board member 16 may pivotally move into and out of engagement with the end of the batter board 18 that is held in the clasp 10. Adjustable wood screw means 21 inserted into the end of the member 18 provides adjustable correct spacing between the end of board 18 and the side of the end 17 of the batter board member 16 to provide a correct, for example, ninety degree alignment of the batter boards when in the rotated or pivoted position. Clasp means 10 holds the pivotal movement of the batter boards to a given plane.

The other ends of the batter board members have secured thereto attachment means 26 that comprise a pair of strap members that are angled inwardly to provide a closer spaced opening 28. The width of this opening 28 generally corresponds to the width or diameter of the member 34 to which the attachment means 26 is to be secured. A bolt member 30 tightens the end of the attachment means 26 to, for example, a pole 34 as shown in FIGURE 3. Normally pole member 34 will be made of steel or other suitable material and have substantially fiat sides. A pair of bolts 32 hold the end of the batter boards 16 and 18 and the strap means together in rigid alignment. The attachment means 26 may be removed from being secured to pole 34 by merely loosening bolt 30 and moving stake 34 laterally through opening 28.

When in use the batter board members 16 and 18 normally are supported above the ground by rods such as steel rods, wood rods, or of other like construction. The clasp member has a circular aperture 22 therethrough that aligns with an aligned aperture drilled through the end 17 of batter board 16. A rod 36 projects through the apertures 22 and is driven into the ground; A collar 38 on rod 36 and having an adjustable screw retaining means 40, is set to support the upper surface of the clasp 10 at the point of established height above the ground, thus establishing the grade for the layout.

When supported on rod 36, batter board member 16 pivots around aperture 22 from the aligned position of FIGURE 2 to the ninety degree angle position of FIG- URE 1. When rod 36 is not projecting through aperture 22, the batter board member 16 can be held between plates 12 and 14 or it can be removed for other and separate use. Apertures 19 in the end 17 and aperture 24 in clasp 10 are for such other separate use.

In performing my method and also in using my structure, the object is to make and preserve a general layout 44 as shown in schematic in FIGURE 4. Prior to the trenching Operation a plurality of individual pairs of representative batter boards 42 are supported above the ground as shown in FIGURE 3 by rod 36, which is driven into the ground at a point that will correctly align the intersecting boards 42. Screws 21 are adjusted to assure that the angle of intersection of the boards is exactly ninety degrees. When the trenching operation is commenced a ditching machine will start usually at a point 49 on the actual layout and will ditch along the side of the layout 44 as shown by the phantom lines 50. The ditching machine is not capable of stopping at the exact edge of the lower border of the building layout 44 and must carry on beyond that point as shown at 52. This would, under a normal installation of prior art batter boards, cause the ditching machine to pass over a permanently positioned batter board 48. However, in use of my invention the batter board 48 is merely pivoted to the position shown at 54 and the ditching machine is able to pass on through. This procedure may also be used to clear a path for all other equipment that may have to pass in close proximity to the permanently positioned batter boards. After the ditching machine has passed the batter board, the batter board is then repositioned by again positioning pole 34 through opening 28 and into the ground and tightening bolt 30 after the level of the end of the batter board 18 has been reestablished.

It may also be seen that the batter boards should have sufficient length to provide a direct side alignment between, for example, batter boards 46 and 56 to establish by sight the longitudinal direction of the side of the building. This provides an easy means for aligning the corners of the building.

While there has been disclosed herein a preferred embodiment of this invention, it should be understood that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A folding batter board for use in making and preserving building layouts comprising,

a pair of batter board members,

clasp means for securing together the ends of said pair of longitudinal batter board members for use in making a building layout,

said clasp means being capable of pivoting said members from a substantially parallel alignment to the angle of a corner of said layout,

said clasp means restricts said pivotal movement of said members to a single plane,

said clasp means having holding means for holding said clasp means at a given location relative to said building layout,

attachment means for releasably securing the other ends of said members to separate post supports at locations in alignment with said building layout,

and said clasp means having locking means for locking said members against pivotal movement in either direction in said single plane.

2. A batter board as defined in claim 1 wherein,

said clasp means comprises at least one plate having a right angle corner,

said plate being secured along one side of said corner to one end of a first of said batter board members with the end of said first batter board member being displaced from, but in alignment with, said corner of said plate,

said plate having an aperture in said corner,

said plate being pivotally secured along the other side of said corner to a second of said batter board members at a point adjacent the end of said second batter board member,

and the end of said second batter board member having a hole therethrough that is aligned with said aperture when said second member is pivoted to a substantially normal angle with said first member.

3. A batter board as defined in claim 2 wherein,

a separate post member for supporting said clasp means and ends of said first and second batter board members being capable of passing through said aperture in said plate and said opening in said second batter board member,

and means for supporting said clasp means on said post member.

4. A batter board as defined in claim 1, wherein said clasp means and attachment means are selectively removable from said batter board members.

5. A batter board as defined in claim 1, wherein said clasp means has adjustable stop means for exactly positioning said batter board members at a given angle.

6. A batter board as defined in claim 1, wherein support means cooperates with said locking means for exactly positioning said clasp means at a given height relative to the grade of said layout.

7. The combination defined in claim 6 wherein, locator means cooperate with said attachment means for releasably supporting said other ends of said members to said given height.

8. A batter board as defined in claim 1, wherein said clasp means comprises a pair of plates with aligned apertures for receiving bolts or the like to releasably secure said plates to said batter boards.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 114,634 5/1871 Bailey 33112 392,426 11/1888 Hayden 33-112 2,562,597 7/ 1951 Breuninger 33-86 2,934,826 5/1960 Klaum.

FOREIGN PATENTS 700,207 11/1953 Great Britain.

WILLIAM D. MARTIN, JR., Primary Examiner. 

